Abstract:

While the Python Reference Manual
describes the exact syntax and semantics of the language, it does not
describe the standard library that is distributed with the language,
and which greatly enhances its immediate usability. This library
contains built-in modules (written in C) that provide access to system
functionality such as file I/O that would otherwise be inaccessible to
Python programmers, as well as modules written in Python that provide
standardized solutions for many problems that occur in everyday
programming. Some of these modules are explicitly designed to
encourage and enhance the portability of Python programs.

This library reference manual documents Python's standard library, as
well as many optional library modules (which may or may not be
available, depending on whether the underlying platform supports them
and on the configuration choices made at compile time). It also
documents the standard types of the language and its built-in
functions and exceptions, many of which are not or incompletely
documented in the Reference Manual.